Motion Control/​Automation

Robot Overcomes Uncertainty to Retrieve Buried Objects

A new robotic system fuses visual information and radio-frequency signals to efficiently find hidden items buried under a pile of objects.

3D-Printed Insect-Inspired Robots

Instead of adding soft materials to a rigid robot body, researchers have taken a soft body and added rigid features to key components.

Shape-Shifting Materials Offer Infinite Possibilities

Researchers have developed a shape-shifting material that can take and hold any possible shape.

Soft, Mechanical Metamaterials

Researchers produced a soft, mechanical metamaterial that can “think” about how forces are applied to it and respond via programmed reactions.

Easing Industrial-Grade Ethernet Implementation

Equipment and test system designers need Ethernet devices that outperform consumer-grade components, while remaining easy to use.

3D Printing Materials with Tunable Mechanical Properties

The researchers created these sensing structures using just one material and a single run on a 3D printer.

Liquid Metal Turns Motion into Electricity, Even Underwater

The soft and stretchable device converts movement into electricity and can work in wet environments.

Soft Mate Lifting Device

This below-the-hook device enables gentle crane placement to decrease the risk of property damage.

NanoGear Molecular Gear

Oscillatory and rotational motions of different parts are combined to pave the way to developing super-miniaturized mechanical devices.

Locking Side Pull Hoist Ring

The integrated tool eliminates the need for manual operators or additional custom fixtures.

Pressure Sensors for Improved Dexterity in Robots

Made from 3D graphene foam, the sensors use a piezoresistive approach, meaning when the material is put under pressure it dynamically changes its electric resistance, easily detecting and adapting to the range of pressure required, from light to heavy.

Getting a Grip with ‘Necrobotic’ Spiders

An open-access study in Advanced Science outlines the process by which Preston and lead author Faye Yap harnessed a spider’s physiology in a first step toward a novel area of research they call “necrobotics.”

A Manta Ray-Inspired Bio-Syncretic Robot

Biomimetics is one of the most important robotic research methods which can improve the kinematic performance of robots by imitating the structure and behavior of natural organisms.

Inflatable Actuators Use Origami Principles to Deform

Researchers have taken inspiration from origami to create inflatable structures that can bend, twist, and move in complex, distinct ways from a single source of pressure.

Electronic Skin Anticipates and Perceives Touch from Different Directions for the First Time

Scientists develop a new approach for miniaturization of soft ultra-compact and highly integrated sensor units for directional tactile sensitivity in e-skin systems.

Advanced Humanoid Robotic Hand Technologies

The R2 hand and forearm assembly is designed in a modular fashion, enabling rapid replacement of components and sub-assemblies.

Teaching Drones How to Navigate Real-World Weather

For drones to autonomously perform necessary but quotidian tasks, they must be able to adapt to wind conditions in real time.

Firefly-Inspired Robotic Lightning Bugs Take Flight

The ability to emit light also brings these microscale robots, which weigh barely more than a paper clip, one step closer to flying on their own outside the lab.

Tiny Motors to Power a Network of Nanomachines

Researchers from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin recently created the first ever solid-state optical nanomotor.

An Algorithmic Planner Helps Delegate Tasks to Human-Robot Teams

The technology could be useful in manufacturing and assembly plants for sorting packages, or in any environment where humans and robots collaborate.

A New Method to Improve Motion Planning for Robots

Interactive program aids motion planning for environments with obstacles.

Single-Step 3D-Printing Process to Build Robots

The piezoelectric “meta-bot” is capable of propulsion, movement, sensing, and decision-making.

Insect-Scale Robots Take Flight

Researchers built electroluminescent soft artificial muscles for flying, insect-scale robots.

Improving Autonomous Robotic Systems

A new general-purpose optimizer can speed up the design of walking robots, self-driving vehicles, and other autonomous systems.

AI-Powered Machines for Hazardous Environments

The robots will be challenged to carry out work too dangerous for humans.

Anti-Phase Noise Suppression Rotor Technologies

Acoustic optimization for anti-phase asymmetric rotor.

Improved Fixed-Wing Gust Load Alleviation Device

Gust load alleviation is an increasing concern for the design of fixed-wing aircraft with ultra-high aspect wings.

Outer Aileron Yaw Damper

A lightweight alternative to rudders for aircraft with spanwise adaptive wings.

Low Separation Force Quick Disconnect Device

A self-aligning, self-healing system for pneumatics and cryogenics with applications in aerospace.